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Pebble beats its own record, Motorola confirms what we already knew about the Moto E and Facebook takes a break from the sillier aspects of its site to get serious about mental health. Basically, we've got everything you need to know from this past week in one neat little package. Won't you catch up with us?

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augmented realityfacebookfccgooglemagic leapmotorolanet neutralitynetneutralitypebblesex toyssmartphonesmartwatchtabletsweekendWeekendsWithEngadgetwithingsSat, 28 Feb 2015 21:00:00 -050021|21147627http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/28/recommended-reading-2-28-15/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/28/recommended-reading-2-28-15/http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/28/recommended-reading-2-28-15/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#commentsRecommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

If you've ever played a Madden title, at some point, you've questioned how player ratings are compiled. Heck, players are even critical of their own scores. Well, the stats experts over at FiveThirtyEight dive deep on the matter, offering a load of background information and a method for compiling and grading your own abilities... or lack thereof.

Motorola's philosophy is that if you can't customize it, it probably isn't worth buying, which is why Moto Maker will soon let you tailor the Moto 360 to your individual taste. In an interview with Wired, the company's Dickon Isaacs said that the option to pick a case color, band material and size were always planned for the smartwatch, but had to be postponed for time reasons.

Earlier this month, Best Buy accidentally (or not) published a listing online that outed an updated Moto E with LTE, more storage and a slightly bigger screen. The page disappeared tout de suite, but last week Motorola gave us a heads-up it was prepping some kind of announcement for today. You don't need to be a math whizz to put two and two together, and as anticipated, Motorola has now made the new and improved Moto E official. The second-generation model has 8GB of internal storage instead of 4GB, as well as an LTE radio (because bargain hunters deserve speedy 4G data access too) and new 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 CPU. It's also been given a fresh face, with a 4.5-inch display in place of the 4.3-inch screen found on the original. That screen is no prettier, however, as you're still afforded the same 960 x 540 (qHD) resolution. It also comes equipped with Lollipop, the latest version of Android. While the OG Moto E retailed for $120/£90, this new model is slightly pricier at $150/£109, with several retailers offering it from today. Motorola's US site tells us there's a 3G variant in the works, too, which should come in a little cheaper when it eventually appears.

Today's trawl into the annals of gadget history takes us to the first Moto X, a device that, at the time, we believed would be a turning point for Google and Android. After all, it was the first device Motorola had released since Google swallowed the firm, and came with some notable features. Between Moto Maker, the Active Display and those "always on" features, it felt as if other smartphone makers had all been placed on notice. By now, of course, we all know how that turned out. If you bought one, you're likely to have plenty of opinions about it, so why not hop over to our forum and tell the world what you would have done differently?

Wondering how well Android Wear managed in its first months on the market? Merely so-so, if you ask Canalys. The analyst group estimates that 720,000 Google-powered smartwatches shipped in 2014. That's not terrible for a young platform where many devices didn't even hit stores until the fall, but it's a drop in the bucket versus a total of 4.6 million total wearable bands. As Canalys explains to the Wall Street Journal, the current Android Wear crop is too rough around the edges to be a smash hit. The battery life isn't usually that hot (rarely more than a day), and there aren't enough apps to make the wristwear particularly useful.

Motorola's tactic when launching last year's Moto E was to let it appear on Brazilian retailer FastShop for a few hours, and then whip it away as soon as people began to notice. Looks like it's another case of history repeating with the refreshed version of the low-end handset, with a listing popping up on Best Buy only to disappear shortly afterward. If the since-pulled listing can be believed, however, then the device is about to get around $30 cheaper and significantly more powerful than the 2014 vintage.

Moto X or Nexus 6? It's a question that has bugged many fans of "pure" Android (including myself) for a few months, and it's not hard to see why. Although both Motorola smartphones are sleekly designed and pack some clever software tricks, they couldn't be more different in some areas. The Moto X is a mid-size, mid-priced device with the "good enough" hardware to match, but it's wonderful to hold and touts features even its bigger sibling lacks. The Nexus 6, meanwhile, is an all-out flagship for those who refuse to compromise on specs or software updates, even if it means carrying a massive beast of a handset. So which one deserves a place in your pocket? I spent a few weeks with each to find out, and the answer might surprise you. %Gallery-slideshow265900%

Despite a supposedly weak PC market, Lenovo does very well, thank you. It's trying to sprinkle the same golden dust on to its latest acquisition, Motorola, and appears to be succeeding. Sales for the iconic brand are up 118 percent over last year to $1.9 billion (with more than 10 million units shipped). Part of that surge happened prior to the official purchase, but nonetheless helped bump Lenovo's united mobile division 78 percent in a year -- third overall behind Samsung and Apple. Motorola also lost less money than forecast, with Lenovo suggesting it could become profitable in as little as a year, despite the fact that it has yet to go on sale in China. Lenovo confirmed in its latest financial report, however, that Moto is "soon to re-enter" its home market where Apple, for one, has fared pretty well of late.

Motorola's Nexus 6 almost had a fingerprint sensor, but Apple spoiled the idea. In an interview with UK newspaper The Telegraph, former CEO Dennis Woodside (who now leads Dropbox) reveals that the handset's dimple was supposed to play home to a discreet recessed sensor, but its supplier couldn't meet its quality demands. "Apple bought the best supplier," Woodside explains, "so the second-best supplier was the only one available to everyone else in the industry and they weren't there yet." At least Moto didn't just, y'know, throw one in anyway.

After Lenovo's acquisition, it's a given that Motorola Mobility would eventually be making a comeback in China; and now we have confirmation of this, along with the announcement of a new, but familiar-looking model. After the Chinese New Year holidays (so toward the end of February), the phone maker will be launching the Moto X Pro, which is basically a rehashed Nexus 6: 6-inch QHD display, 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805, front-facing stereo speakers, a 13-megapixel main camera and a 3,220mAh battery. Interestingly, the Moto X Pro will be running on pure Android, but it'll obviously be lacking Google services as per local regulations. The latest Moto X and Moto G will also be headed to China, with the former launching in early February (with Moto Maker going live after the Chinese New Year), and the latter around the same time as the Moto X Pro.

When Android Wear was announced back in March, we asked our readers in a poll which of the first two launch devices they wanted: the Moto 360 or the LG G Watch. The Moto 360 won hands down, by a three-to-one ratio. That anticipation only increased as competing Android Wear products hit the market first. The Moto 360 was finally released in September, and we gave it a score of 76 in our own review, saying Motorola's smartwatch "outclasses everything else on the market" and dubbed it "the Android Wear watch to beat." Now that this highly coveted wearable has been out for a while, how does it hold up to your scrutiny? We took a look at the user reviews you left us on the Moto 360's Engadget product page to find out where it delivered -- and where it stumbled.

The UK launch of Google's Nexus 6 has been a mess, but finally the pure Android smartphone has a stable presence in the Play Store. Well, sort of. The 32GB Midnight Blue model is now available, but the Cloud White variant and both 64GB configurations are still MIA. If you're happy with what's on offer, you can order one for £499 with an estimated dispatch time of three to four weeks. Of course, that rules it out as a Christmas present, but at least it's now possible to leisurely buy one from the big G. The Nexus 6 has been available in the Play Store before, but only for frustratingly short periods of time. Today, it appears to be sticking around, so here's hoping we've seen the last of its little disappearing act.

Crafting and selling a smartphone is hard. Crafting and selling a smartphone while legions of titans and upstart ankle biters do the same? Well, that's just infinitely harder. You'd think it would be the newcomers struggling the most as they try to carve out their niche in a too-crowded market, but these days, it's often the big guys, the juggernauts that need the most help finding their footing. Just take a look at the news: Representatives for both Sony and Samsung recently said their respective companies would be slashing the number of smartphone models they churn out, all in hopes that more sweet, sweet cash will eventually fall into their laps.

While Motorola's Nexus 6 is still missing from Google Play in the UK, there are plenty of Android flagship alternatives to choose from. However, the company's hoping you'll stay close to home and pick the slightly smaller and lower-specced Moto X, especially now that it's had £100 slashed off the asking price. As part of Cyber Monday, you can pick up the 16GB model for £319.99 and the 32GB variant for £359.99, or throw in an extra £20 for one of its various leather or wood backs. To claim the discount, you'll need to fill out this registration form between 8am on December 1st and 12pm on December 2nd; Motorola will then email you a promo code, which you'll need to submit online at the checkout for Moto Maker. Each discount code expires on December 16th at 5:59am, so if you claim now there's a still a couple of weeks for you to save up the cash or think about that pre-Christmas order. Of course, if you're still on the fence it's worth reading our Moto X review, where we placed it among "the pantheon of smartphone greats."

So you've finally recovered from Thanksgiving dinner, only to realize that you missed out on some hot Black Friday deals. Are you stuck paying full price for your gifts? Far from it -- a whole host of stores are participating in Cyber Monday, a second round of (usually online-only) sales that are frequently as tempting as what you saw just a few days earlier. There are some particularly juicy bargains this year, ranging from surprisingly affordable 4K TVs and smartwatches to gigantic game console bundles. Check out the gallery below to see some of the bigger Cyber Monday deals we've spotted so far, and be sure to let fellow readers know about other bargains in the comments!

Did you rush to get a Moto 360 as soon as possible, only to realize that you were (temporarily) stuck with the band that came attached to your smartwatch? You can now do something about it. Motorola has started selling both leather and metal bands by themselves at respective prices of $30 and $70. They're all normal width -- sorry, no slim gold band for you -- but you're otherwise free to buy whatever suits your mood. Just be ready to take your 360 into a jeweler, since you can't perform the transplant yourself.

For a moment the page changes, the default "out of stock" message replaced by an estimated shipping date. Quickly, you move your cursor across the screen and hit the order button, only to discover the device is no longer available. You close the tab. Better to try again later. This is the frustration many Brits have experienced trying to order a Nexus 6 from the Google Play store. One model (32GB, Midnight Blue) has been available there for just a few fleeting moments, allowing only the most eagle-eyed customers to complete a reservation. The rest have had to wait, or consider buying a unit from elsewhere.

Motorola isn't done releasing smallyetconvenient accessories this year, apparently. It just unveiled the Keylink, a Bluetooth key fob that helps you find both your smartphone and your keys. If you lose your phone between the seat cushions, you can push a button on the Keylink to make it ring from as far as 100 feet away; if your keys disappear, you can use Motorola's Connect app to make the Keylink sound off. It plays nicely with both Android phones and iPhones, and it'll also serve as a trusted Smart Lock device if you're using Android 5.0 Lollipop -- you may never have to unlock your phone so long as your keys are nearby. The Keylink is relatively costly for a narrow-purposed device at $25, but the price might be justifiable if you periodically misplace your gear.

It's been a little over a month since the Nexus 6 was unveiled, and now the super-sized Android smartphone is nearly ready to make its UK debut. The 32GB 'Midnight Blue' model is now available to pre-order from Amazon, or you can reserve one through Vodafone on new contracts starting at £39.50 per month. (The carrier is also throwing in a free Moto 360 with the first 500 orders, so act fast and you might be able to snag a matching timepiece.) Alternatively, you can pre-order the smartphone on Carphone Warehouse's site for £499 (32GB) or £550 (64GB) off-contract, or with a new monthly plan with Vodafone, O2 and EE.

We owe a lot to Motorola and its team of inventors and engineers. The company made breakthroughs in portable radio and brought us one of the first-ever cellphones. It launched the flip phone, the clamshell and the wildly popular RAZR V3. There have been some ups and downs along the way, and the company's endured more than its share of corporate hand-changing, but with its Moto series and Nexus 6, it's now back amongst the smartphone elite. In this week's Rewind, we take a look at some of the milestones in Motorola's quest for portable communicators. %Gallery-slideshow243275%

We heard rumblings that Motorola's pair of single-lettered handsets would be amongst the first to get Android's latest update, and the company has made the news official. Lollipop is rolling out to the second-gen Moto X Pure Edition and Moto G (US GSM and global GSM versions) devices "in phases," so if you're wielding one of those, you should be privy to the new version soon enough. If you'll recall, Android 5.0 brings with it the flatter look and feel of Material Design, guest mode, battery saver and much more. Need a refresher on all the additions? Consult our extensive preview right here. Unfortunately, there's no telling how long it'll take for the new software to hit carrier versions, but we're just as anxious as you are.

Update: Google has announced that Lollipop is starting to rollout to is family of Nexus devices. Of course, it's going to take a few weeks for the major update to hit everyone. But owners of the Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (both 2012 and 2013 models), Nexus 10 and the Nexus 4 can all look forward to Android 5.0 hitting their devices... at some point. You'll have to wait a little bit longer if you're using a tablet with mobile data, but that's just par for the course.

Once upon a time, not all that long ago, Motorola released an excellent flagship phone called the Moto X. Sure, it didn't have the best battery ever and the camera was pretty lousy, but it just oozed charm and didn't leave me wanting for much. Then, just months later, Motorola (with a perhaps little coaxing from Verizon) released a phone that addressed just about all of the X's shortcomings. That, in a nutshell, is the story of the Droid Turbo: Just think of it as the Moto X Plus. But is it really that much better than that other phone we fell for? And will Verizon Moto X owners rue the day they extended their contracts?%Gallery-slideshow242975%

A few days before other retailers offer the option, and coming just after the goods appeared on Amazon, Motorola has officially put new bands on sale for its Moto 360. If you've already purchased one, or look to do so soon, the smartwatch now comes with your choice of silver or black metal bands for $299. Fancy the look of leather instead? There are the usual options in stone and black, with a congac hue on the way. In addition to those, stitched bands from DODOcase and silicone colors from TYLT are in the works. The gold model that broke from cover via the aforementioned retailer was properly outed as well in an 18mm width, but it'll cost you a bit more at $329. The light silver metal band comes in the narrower option, too.